Sacred Heart University President Defends Decision to Host Trump Campaign Rally

FAIRFIELD, CT — Anything Donald Trump says or does these days elicits strong feelings on both sides of the aisle. So, when news spread that the Republican presidential candidate was coming to Connecticut for a rally at a Catholic university, the firestorm erupted locally.

Sacred Heart University President John Petillo said that the university “received a great deal of feedback — both positive and negative” in quick order.

“There have been hundreds of requests for tickets, and there have been negative responses based on opposition to his philosophies, opinions and pronouncements,” Petillo wrote in a blog post on the university’s website. “Some also have questioned whether — as a Catholic university — we should allow him access to our facilities, as some of his stances and proclamations appear contrary to our religious beliefs and values.”

Petillo said that the university understands the reaction and the dialogue is part of the reason why the university hosts such events.

Petillo said that Trump coming to the Fairfield campus is “by no means a political endorsement or effort to boost his campaign; nor is it a University-sponsored event.”

“Over the years, we have made our facilities available to community leaders, politicians and presidential candidates from across the political spectrum,” Petillo wrote. “We were approached due to proximity, accessibility and availability and were asked if our venue could be rented so Mr. Trump could speak to voters and observers in this region.

“It has long been our policy to open our doors to a wide variety of speakers on an equally diverse range of topics, regardless of party affiliation, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Our goal then, as now, was to promote open dialogue. To do less would be an injustice to our students and to our commitment to providing our educational community the broadest possible exposure and learning.”

Petillo also said Trump would not be the “first controversial person — nor will he be the last — to speak at our University, whether by design or circumstance.”

“As a liberal arts institution, these opportunities provide our students and many diverse audiences the opportunity to assess the facts, observe the actions and measure a speaker’s words,” Petillo wrote. “Tolerance of and exposure to one another’s opinions and concerns is a foundation of the liberal arts and the Catholic intellectual tradition.”

Trump, who has two appearances in Pennsylvania on Friday, is scheduled to begin speaking in Fairfield on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart University’s William H. Pitt Center. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

For ticket information, click here.

Read Petillo’s full blog post at the Sacred Heart University website here.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons